Corrado on Campaign Finance and the “Age of the Megadonor”

Government professor and political-finance expert Anthony Corrado commented on campaign finance in this article about returning to the days of unrestrained fundraising. “You can really say we have entered the age of the megadonor,” Corrado said.

As recently as 2008, he noted, candidates focused on building large donor bases. President Barack Obama was especially adept at collecting small donations that translated—specialists in both parties believe—into votes, since someone who gives even a small amount to a campaign becomes literally invested in it. “Less than a decade later, the emphasis now is on the ability to recruit wealthy donors who are willing to write large checks,” Corrado said. “As a result, the focal point is on the ability to solicit contributions from what is a very small number of potential donors. The universe you’re aiming for is not four million people, but 200 people.”